


The Next Step

by ImogenSmiley



Series: Reigisa [27]
Category: Free!
Genre: Ambition, Canon Compliant, End of Season, Established Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Established Relationship, Free! Dive to the Future, Free! Season Three, Future, M/M, National Swim Meet, Nationals, Summer, Swimming Career, Third Year, Writemas, forward thinking, planning for the future, season three, summer time, third year of high school, writemas 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21944845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImogenSmiley/pseuds/ImogenSmiley
Summary: Their High School swimming career was over...
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Series: Reigisa [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531475
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	The Next Step

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas! 
> 
> With this oneshot, all of my Writemas entries are complete! I had so much fun participating in this event, and cannot wait for all of the writing events that will come around next year! 
> 
> Have a great day! Please take care of yourselves! Lots of love!

Rei Ryugazaki had qualified for the National High School Swim Meet’s 100m Butterfly Final. Nagisa Hazuki, had also qualified for the National High School Swim Meet’s 100m Breaststroke Final, but by the skin of his teeth. Both lost.

Rei came fifth out of the eight finalists, cementing his legacy as the captain of Team Iwatobi by outshining his senpai and their individual records, with Haruka-senpai flubbing the Nationals last year due to his mental state having deteriorated, and Makoto-senpai having lost his own race.

Nagisa came last in his own race, he had been the eighth to qualify and the eighth to finish. But upon getting out of the pool, he had hugged Nitori Aiichirou, who had only just missed a place on the podium, coming fourth in the final. Both third years were leaving without a trophy, but they couldn’t help but smile when they met at the poolside.

Rei had been filled with a similar feeling of pride. He knew that somewhere in the stadium sat his parents, and older brother, maybe even alongside Nagisa’s parents and older sisters. Both boys had managed to achieve something that, just three summers prior would have seemed impossible. Middle School daydreams had become High School achievements, and, with their participation medals draped around their necks, the couple were happy to pose for as many pictures as their schoolmates were willing to take of them. This was their moment.

Rei couldn’t help but wonder whether the redheaded boy he’d ran into before the heat, had seen him swim, had watched him make the finals and do something he otherwise probably would have never expected himself to do.

Both Rei and Nagisa got changed back into their team uniforms with teary eyes, exchanging hasty kisses behind locker doors once they were ready. They had things they had to do, people to thank for making the journey. Relatives to speak to and, most importantly, former teammates to reunite with.

Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai had made it to Nationals, and Rin-san was somewhere in the stadium too. There were a lot of conversations to be had and they were excited.

With their hands laced back together, Rei and Nagisa spoke of what they would do: now that the competition season was over, and everything. Neither had been particularly forthcoming about an answer, perhaps because they both knew what the other would say. Maybe it was more than that.

It was only when Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai and Rin-san expressed an interest in their intentions that Rei finally spoke up, explaining that he didn’t mind where he studied but he knew, wholeheartedly that there were two things in his life that he wasn’t going to let go: Nagisa-kun, or swimming.

Nagisa, on the other hand, had been too flustered after his boyfriend’s unconventional love confession, and public display of affection, to speak up about his own intentions, but from the starry eyed look on the blonde’s face, their former senpai concluded that he probably had the same thoughts in mind.


End file.
